LATEST CLINICAL ARTICLE

People with learning disabilities still face inequalities in access to health services. This article, which comes with a handout for a journal club discussion, sums up what nurses can do to reduce these inequalities

CLINICAL FOCUS

People with learning disabilities still face inequalities in access to health services. This article, which comes with a handout for a journal club discussion, sums up what nurses can do to reduce these inequalities

The Labour Party has named 31 hospitals it claims are looking to reduce NHS staff terms and conditions ahead of a debate in the House of Commons later today.

As revealed by Nursing Times last week, the party has secured a crucial vote on the threat of regional pay in the health service and the actions of the South West Consortium of 20 trusts.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said moves to break away from Agenda for Change or reduce other terms and conditions was spreading across the country, and risked the fragmentation of the NHS.

He has called on the government to make its position clear on NHS pay.

On top of the 20 trusts involved in the South West Consortium, Labour has named 11 others it says are considering their own actions.

The list includes North Tees and Hartlepool Foundation Trust, which plans to 5,500 staff and re-hire them on reduced terms and conditions. Neighbouring South Tees trust has said it is exploring similar actions.

Sunderland City Hospitals Foundation Trust has frozen pay for any staff who do not receive an annual appraisal or complete certain training modules.

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation Trust is freezing pay increments for staff who do not complete seven mandatory training modules, or who do not receive an appraisal in a 12-month period.

Oxford Health Foundation Trust is withdrawing a cost of living allowance and Christmas payments while Mid Cheshire Hospitals Foundation Trust has confirmed it is looking at change sick pay terms and conditions.

Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust have both tried to impose new rules to defer incremental pay rises if staff had been off sick.

University Hospital of South Manchester Foundation Trust has included changes to terms and conditions in its three year plan.

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust has said it could move away from Agenda for Change and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Foundation Trust had attempted to impose reduced terms and conditions for new non-medical employees, but withdrew these plans after union pressure.

Mr Burnham said: “The NHS is fragmenting before our eyes. National pay is part of what holds our national service together. It is being broken apart and ministers are doing absolutely nothing about it.

“It is essential the health secretary comes to the Commons and clears up the confusion about government policy on NHS pay. Staff deserve to know where they stand.”

A spokesperson for health secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “It was under the last Labour government that NHS trusts were given the freedom to determine their own pay and conditions, so it is completely disingenuous for them to criticise the process now.”

Unions have said trusts looking to break with the national pay framework are undermining negotiations and have called on MPs to show their support in the Parliamentary vote.

Christina McAnea, head of health at Unison, said: “Rogue elements, such as the South West ‘cartel’ are acting irresponsibly and stirring up fear and industrial unrest among their workforce.

“This is spreading across the NHS like a plague and causing massive anger and worry for staff who just want to get on with their job of caring for patients,” she said.

“National pay bargaining has a proven track record of keeping the industrial peace and we need MPs to back it.”

Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, added: “It is time for MPs across the country to speak up for nurses and reject regional pay.

“Regional pay will not save the economy. The impact on patients will be substantial and they will be severe, creating a skills drain in local areas and putting patient care at risk.”

The con-dems need to go. They're not interested in the NHS or the people that work within it. It's sole purpose, is to use as a political propaganda tool and use the staff that work there as puppets to use and abuse as they feel fit. The Government say they take a dim view of abuse in the care system, which is quite right, but what about the abuse of NHS staff and OUR human rights. This is just another nail in the coffin of the NHS and our terms and conditions. But why did we expect anything less from these people, they treated us badly in the 80's. History repeating. We need to vote with our feet and get them out of Parliament. Next General Election, PLEASE vote Labour.

patients cannot believe that we are being asked to take a paycut and work unpaid unsocial hours. I can't quite believe it myself, it is absolutely disgusting, what do MP's get paid? please can they, and hospital managers, please publish their annual salaries along with overtime and extras so that we can make a comparison.

The hospital I worked in was closed with the promise of increase community care which never materialised. We planned marches up and down the London streets, the Socialist Worker camped outside the hospital gates, UNISON or was it NUPE planning industrial action. The fire service supported us, the police supported us, the public supported us.

Nurses on one empty ward barricaded themselves in (on their day off) so that the demolition crew couldn't start work.

It was all to no avail but we gave it our best. The Tories started to destroy the NHS then and will continue to do so as long as they are in power.

Patients lives are being put at risk every single day. Nurses jobs are being put at risk every single day. "Concerns" are being raised every single day, the regulators are under investigation, beds are closing, hospitals are closing, people will die and they don't give a damn about any of it because they just don't care.

It's time middle England the right-wing media sat up and actually took notice of what is going on in the real world.

Nothing less will do. The continued lack of action on the part of this profession is hurting our patients and ourselves. The unions and their lack of tough talk must take their share of the blame. However, if nurses do not vote in union ballots (which they don't) on these vital matters, then the unions have no mandate to actually take action.

Industrial action does work and we only have to look to our colleagues elsewhere for proof. We have allowed this to go on for far too long. Enough is enough.

When you are a registered nurse in the NHS that's what you are wherever you live and work, and the pay should be the same nationwide. I understand about London weighting, and as I worked there myself, I know how expensive it can be, and don't have a problem with nurses getting that. It's high time the government reeled in these maverick trusts who are trying to shaft us, and where applicable take their foundation status off them if they try to leave agenda for change. They should have been told that they couldn't do that when they applied for foundation status in the first place.

Have your say

Please remember that the submission of any material is governed by our Terms and Conditions and by submitting material you confirm your agreement to these Terms and Conditions. Links may be included in your comments but HTML is not permitted.

Unlimited access to Nursing Times...

...gives you the confidence to be the best nurse you can be. Our online learning units, clinical practice articles, news and opinion stories, helps you increase your skills and knowledge and improves your practice.